Research Article
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Skilled
Assistance Seeking Maternal Healthcare Services and Associated
Factors among Women in West Shoa Zone, Oromia
Region, Ethiopia
Eden Girmaye , Kassa Mamo , Birhanu Ejara, Fikadu Wondimu, and Maru Mossisa
Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia
Correspondence should be addressed to Eden Girmaye; edengirmaye@gmail.com
Received 7 September 2020; Accepted 30 July 2021; Published 11 August 2021
Academic Editor: Claire Newman
Copyright©2021EdenGirmayeetal.isisanopenaccessarticledistributedundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionLicense,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background. is study aimed to assess women’s knowledge, attitude, and practice towards skilled assistance seeking maternal
healthcare services in West Shoa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Methods. Cross-sectional survey design was conducted from 1
February to 23 March 2018 in West Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the
participants. e data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1,
and descriptive analysis and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out using SPSS version 20
statistical software package. Results. e study revealed that the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards skilled maternal health
services were found such that 473.3 (72.4%) of the study participants had good knowledge, 180.7 (27.6%) had poor knowledge, and
400 (61.3%) had positive attitude, 254 (38.84%) had negative attitude, 460.3 (70.4%) had good practice, and 193.7 (29.6%) had poor
practice towards skilled maternal health services. Factors that had a significant association with antenatal care utilization were
planned pregnancy (AOR � 8.2, 95% CI � 3.39-19.78-0.87) and access to transport (AOR � 3.1, 95% CI � 1.46–6.61). Attending
ANC at least once (AOR � 3.1, 95% CI � 1.13–8.41), women’s education (AOR � 3.0, 95% CI � 1.18–7.84), and unplanned
pregnancy (AOR � 0.3,95%CI � 0.21–0.75) were factors associated with skilled delivery service utilization. Attending ANC at least
once (AOR � 2.1, 95% CI � 1.1–4.2), birth complications (AOR � 2.2, 95% CI � 1.35–3.66), unplanned pregnancies (AOR � 0.3,
95% CI � 0.22–0.68), and awareness about skilled obstetric care (AOR � 3.7, 95% CI � 1.68–12.79) were factors associated with
postnatal care utilization. Conclusions. is study found that the knowledge, attitude, and practice of skilled maternal health
services among the study participants are low, showing less than three-quarters of the total sample size. erefore, this study
implied that interventions are required to improve women’s knowledge, attitude, and practice of skilled maternal health services
in the study area. Furthermore, women’s education is significantly associated with skilled delivery service utilization. Accordingly,
this study recommends that improving equity among the marginalized population is needed to increase maternal health
service coverage.
1. Background
Access to skilled health services during pregnancy, child-
birth, and postpartum is a crucial element that promotes the
health and wellbeing of the mother and newborn. However,
maternal mortality and morbidity remains a substantial
concern. Globally, an estimated 303 000 mothers died due to
maternal causes during pregnancy and childbirth and
postpartum [1]. Developing regions account for 99%
(302,000) of the global maternal deaths and sub-Saharan
Africa accounts for two-thirds (201,000) [2]. Ending pre-
ventable maternal mortality by reducing the maternal deaths
to less than 710 per 100,000 live births by 2030 requires
rigorous improvements in skilled maternal healthcare [3].
However, only half of women in developing regions receive
the amount of healthcare services they need. Currently, the
Hindawi
Nursing Research and Practice
Volume 2021, Article ID 8888087, 11 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8888087